ROUTINE.......

WRITTEN BY REX

IT'S WEEK #19 AND WE'RE BACK INTO OUR REGULAR ROUTINE OF WORKING AND RV LIFE. A WEEK FROM TODAY WE WILL BE LEAVING THIS NICE RV PARK AND HEADING UP THE MOUNTAIN TO SPEND THE THREE MONTHS OF SUMMER. WE WILL BE MISSING THE WARM SWIMMING POOL, HOT TUB, CONVENIENCE STORE W/GASOLINE, AND BEAUTIFUL TILED SHOWERS.



MARY READJUSTED TO WORK, AND GOT ALL CAUGHT UP WITH HER WORKING BUDDIES FROM LAST SUMMER. "HOW WAS YOUR WINTER IN LAUGHLIN?" "ARE YOU STILL LIVING IN A CAMPER?" AND "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN TRAVELING?", ARE THE TOP QUESTIONS SHE ANSWERED ALL WEEK-END.



WE HAVE FOUR DAYS AGAIN ON NEXT WEEK'S SCHEDULE, OF COURSE WE'RE SCHEDULED TO WORK ON WEDNESDAY FROM 6AM TO 2PM WHEN WE NEED TO MOVE UP THE MOUNTAIN. NOT A BIG PROBLEM. OUR WEATHER HAS BEEN "SUNNY & 80" JUST THE WAY WE LIKE IT !!!

You Better Belize It !!! (Part 1)

by Uncle Hans

Now the long awaited photodiary of Belize. You will remember the official greeter of Belize, Jet. His little tavern in the departure lounge is the first, and sadly the last drink we get there. It is rum punch..........

..........a great view of Belize City from Tropic Air puddle jumper. Do not visit Belize City, fly over it on the way to the island.............

.............a picture of the airport on the island. The time is 11:50AM. We have never arrived that early and it was great. We left in a snowstorm that closed school in the Twin Cities and were on the beach by noon!.......

......another tradition. The first Belikin (beer) at the Blue Water Grill, across the street from the airport and right on the beach. Remember?.......

MINIMUM WAGE

BY REX

LAST WEEK WHEN CONGRESS PASSED THE EMERGENCY WAR FUNDING BILL FOR THE WAR IN IRAQ, A MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE WAS INCLUDED TO MAKE THE DEMOCRATS HAPPY. THIS IS THE FIRST INCREASE IN OVER A DECADE.

SO WHAT?

THE CASINOS IN NEVADA, AND MANY OTHER AREAS, PAY DEALERS MINIMUM WAGE PLUS TIPS. LAST NOVEMBER, BY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT NO LESS, NEVADA RAISED THE STATE MINIMUM WAGE TO $1 MORE THAN THE FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE. NEVADA ALSO PROHIBITS USING TIP CREDIT TO MEET THE MINIMUM WAGE REQUIREMENT.

TO BOIL IT DOWN, IN JUST OVER TWO YEARS OUR BASE PAY WILL HAVE GONE FROM $5.15 AN HOUR TO $8.25 AN HOUR. NOT BAD AS THE PRICES OF EVERYTHING ELSE IN THIS WORLD EDGES UP, IN SOME CASES DAILY.

Graduation

By Heather

Tuesday morning we left for Tupelo, Mississippi which is close to where Greg lives. It was a 14 hour drive, we left at 3 am and arrived at 5 pm. Once we were checked into the hotel we went to see Greg. It was about another 20 minutes from the hotel and is in the country. Thankfully we took Randy's parents GPS otherwise we would have never found it on our own. We had a nice visit but didn't stay to long since we had been driving all day.

Wednesday morning we got up and headed to the local zoo. Which was very nice. They had everything from buffalo and giraffes to alligators and monkey. We could feed the animals too. While looking at one of the monkeys, he went after Alisha and Marissa. Apparently this monkey does not like red or pink which is what both of them had on. Good thing they had a very tight fence on the outer layer since they have long arms and would have got them if it wasn't there. Then we headed over to Elvis' Birthplace. It consist of a very tiny house which only is 2 rooms, the whole place would have fit in my living room. We also looked at the gift shop there. It was interesting to see. Around the house there is a date line of his life while he lived there.

Then it was graduation day. We took the kids to a park in the morning to play since graduation was not until 7:30 pm. Greg's Dad, Grandma ( on his dads side), and an aunt were at the same hotel as us so they grilled out chicken and hotdogs during the day so after the ceremony we all could eat there. We all sat around and chatted while we waited for it to start. The ceremony was nice, I was glad it wasn't to hot, but we were in the bleachers for the football field and sitting on those gets hard after awhile and it took 1 1/2 hours. Greg was the first one to go up and get his Diploma and there were 105 in his class. Greg's cap didn't fit so he had to bobby pin it on which wasn't easy since he has little very little hair. that is why his cap is laying on the side of his head. WE took a few pictures after and then headed back to the hotel so everyone could eat and celebrate.

Hope you like the pics!!

Love Ya,
Heather

(EDITOR'S NOTE: HEATHER IS MARY'S DAUGHTER FROM LA CROSSE. THE GRADUATE, GREG, IS MARY'S GRANDSON.)

You Better Belize It !!! (Introduction)

by Uncle Hans

Wendy and I have just gotten back from our semi-annual visit to Belize. We made our first visit there in 1999 and have been back twice a year since. If this map comes through, Belize is in the center, just south of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico on the east or Caribbean side of Central America. We visit an island called Ambergris Caye which is just under the top of the "E" in "BELIZE" on the map. 90% of the tourists stay here, and make day trips to the mainland. We chose Belize years ago for several reasons. We were looking for a fun spot in the sun to spend some time in retirement. It is the former British Honduras, having peacefully negotiated their "emancipation" from Great Britain in 1984. The language is English, and everyone learns it in school, where most people attend and graduate. The money is tied to the US dollar and 2 Belize dollars equals 1 US dollar. No funny business on exchange rates. The legal system is based on the British system and there is justice, so there is relative safety. We successfully bought properties in the form of condos which are occupied and managed year around. Many people own vacation or weekend properties here in Spooner and leave them unoccupied most of the time. It is rare to hear of break-in or vandalism. That would just not work in Belize (or in most places in the world, think about it). The people speak English, are educated, and have a good work ethic. It is their downfall, unfortunately. The combination of traits (and the lack of opportunity in Belize) makes them perfect for immigration, legal or otherwise, to the US. Less than 300,000 people live in Belize. Sadly, there are more Belizeans in Los Angeles than in Belize.


We dragged Rex and Mary down here a couple of years ago and had lots of fun. We are trying to tempt them back, so I wrote this photodiary of our trip. If you find it interesting and would like to learn more, the island has an excellent website: ambergriscaye.com


Uncle Hans


(EDITOR'S NOTE: HANS AND WENDY WERE IN BELIZE THE SECOND WEEK OF APRIL, AND HANS WROTE THIS SERIES OF BLOG ENTRIES SHORTLY AFTER THEIR RETURN. IT'S A MULTI-PART SERIES AND WE WILL BE INSERTING THEM INTO THE BLOG OVER THE NEXT MONTH. ENJOY !!!)

Sequoias

As the sign says, we were entering a grove of giant sequoias. These giant trees are the largest living things on earth by volume. The giant redwoods grow taller and the bristle cone pines live longer, but these are the largest. They get up to 300 feet tall, 30 feet around, 6,100 tons in weight, and 3,000 years in age!! Barks on the oldest trees can be as much as two feet thick. The main reason they die is by falling over because of their enormous weight.

The hike to the sequoia grove was two miles round trip. It also had a 400 foot elevation drop in one mile. This is the equivalent of walking down 40 flights of stairs. Of course the second mile of the hike was a 400 foot elevation gain which is the equivalent of CLIMBING 40 flights of stairs. There was plenty of huffing and puffing going on........

In years past this was a popular entrance to the park because of the novelty of driving through this tree trunk. Now it is here for a great photo op!

I wanted a picture of this tree because you can see the burned part. Well you can if you are there, it doesn't show up very well in this picture. The hollowed out part is all burnt and demonstrates their ability to survive the intense heat of forest fires.

I don't have any clue what type of flower this is but they were plentiful in the park. They actually were blooming on trees rather than on short plants. I kind of think they look sort of like a dogwood but don't really know. If anyone recognizes these, I would appreciate a comment letting me know what it is.

Here are a few more pictures of our roadtrip.

YOSEMITE

WRITTEN BY REX

SOUTH OUT OF THE CARSON VALLEY, UP OVER THE PASS INTO THE ANTELOPE VALLEY, ACROSS THE VALLEY AND UP OVER THE PASS INTO THE MONO BASIN AND MONO LAKE, TAKE A RIGHT AND HEAD UP OVER TIOGA PASS AND DOWN INTO YOSEMITE CANYON, 175 MILES OF PICTURE POST CARD SCENERY ALL THE WAY.

VISITING YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK HAS BEEN ON OUR "WISH LIST" FOR FIVE YEARS AND TODAY WAS THE DAY. DUE TO THE LIGHT SNOW PACK FROM LAST WINTER, TIOGA PASS OPENED SIX WEEKS EARLY SO IT WAS THE RIGHT TIME TO MAKE THE TRIP FROM THE CARSON VALLEY.

THERE REALLY AREN'T ENOUGH SUPERLATIVES TO WRITE OUT DESCRIPTIONS, AND PICTURES JUST AREN'T THE SAME AS BEING THERE....................




THIS IS THE TOP OF TIOGA PASS, AT THE TOP OF THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAIN RANGE.

AS YOU CAN SEE EVEN ON MAY 24TH THERE IS STILL ICE ON THE LAKE AND SNOW AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS.

THE FAMOUS HALF DOME OF YOSEMITE.

YOSEMITE FALLS NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE CANYON.

EL CAPITAN, A SHEAR GRANITE MONOLITH.

FOR MORE OF OUR PHOTO'S OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CLICK HERE.


(NOTE TO THE BROTHERS: TODAYS TRIP WOULD HAVE BEEN A MOTORCYCLE RUN TO DIE FOR !!!)

Reprieve????

By Mary

Remember when Rex mentioned that I was enjoying my last two days of vacation?? He went to work today and saw the schedule.....now I am enjoying my last THREE days of vacation. We were expecting to be scheduled five days over the Memorial Day week end but instead, we got only four days. I have a feeling that gas prices are going to have a major impact on our hours and salary this summer. Sure am glad I have my car paid off!!

Well having said that, we have decided to use the last two days of my vacation to go to Yosemite National Park!! It is only about 3 hours from here and since they had less than normal snowfall this past winter the road is open this early. Usually it is mid to late June before they have the park open!! So there will be spectacular pictures for Friday's blog!!
Make sure you all tune in for those!!

WINDING

WRITTEN BY REX

I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE "WINDING DOWN", OR "WINDING UP"? AT ANY RATE FRIDAY IS COMING AND THE END OF VACATION FOR MARY APPROACHES.

THIS WEEK I ONLY GOT THREE DAYS OF WORK AT HARVEYS, THAT WAS OK AS IT GAVE ME A FEW DAYS TO SPEND WITH MARY. NEXT WEEK'S SCHEDULE INCLUDES THE MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY AND WE ARE EXPECTING FIVE DAYS OF WORK. GETTING OUR HOURS IS THE PROBLEM BETWEEN MEMORIAL DAY AND THE FOURTH OF JULY. AFTER THE FOURTH OF JULY WE WILL BE GETTING OUR HOURS THROUGH THE LABOR DAY HOLIDAY.

TODAY WE WASHED THE WISCONSIN BUGS OFF THE HONDA. REMEMBER THE RV'ERS TRICK OF SCRUBBING BUGS WITH A WET DRYER SHEET? WELL IT EVEN WORKS ON WISCONSIN BUGS!

THIS WEEK IN E-MAIL I RECEIVED A NICE PHOTO OF LAURA AND BARRY'S NEW HARLEY MOTORCYCLE. RIDE BABY, RIDE !!! AND WE WILL SEE YOU AT THE WEDDING IN OCTOBER.

BACK TO NORMAL?

BY REX

BACK TO NORMAL? JUST WHAT IS NORMAL WHEN YOU LIVE LIFE IN A CAMPER? HOW DO NORMAL 50+ YEAR OLD PEOPLE WITH NO RESPONSIBILITIES, NO MONEY, OR NO FAMILY AROUND REALLY ACT? ARE WE NORMAL? OH WELL, THE "HAPPY CAMPERS" ARE BACK IN THE SAME STATE ANYWAY. FRIDAY MARY RETURNS TO WORK AT HARVEYS FOR THE SUMMER.


AFTER A WALMART RUN, WE RETURNED TO NEVADA'S OLDEST SALOON. IT'S LOCATED IN NEVADA'S FIRST TOWN, GENOA. IT'S LOCATED IN THE BEAUTIFUL CARSON VALLEY. THE BAR OPENED IN 1853. THE STRUCTURE IS THE ORIGINAL RED BRICK AND POSSIBLY THE ORIGINAL WOOD FLOOR AND COBWEBS. THE BACKBAR MIRROR WAS IMPORTED FROM GLASGLOW, SCOTLAND IN 1840. WHEN YOU SHINE A FLASHLIGHT AT IT YOU CAN SEE THE DIAMOND FLECKS IN THE GLASS.






FAMOUS CUSTOMER'S INCLUDE, MARK TWAIN, ULYSSES S. GRANT, "TEDDY" ROOSEVELT, CAROL LOMBARD, CLARK GABLE, RICHARD BOONE, RONNIE HOWARD, RED SKELETON, ALL THE NEVADA GOVERNORS, WILLIE NELSON, CHARLIE DANIELS, MERLE HAGGARD, WAYLON JENNINGS, JOHNNY CASH, SLIM PICKENS, JOHN DENVER AND RAQUEL WELCH.

WHEN RAQUEL WELCH VISITED SHE WAS ASKED TO LEAVE HER BRA HANGING FROM THE CEILING FOR THEIR COLLECTION. SHE AGREED BUT INSISTED THAT ALL OTHERS BE REMOVED - AND THEY WERE! HER'S IS THE BLACK LEOPARD PRINT HANGING ON THE ANTLERS.

MOVIES FILMED IN THE BAR INCLUDED, "THE SHOOTIST" WITH JOHN WAYNE, "CHARLEY VARRICK" WITH WALTER MATHAU, "HONKEY TONK MAN" WITH CLINT EASTWOOD, "MISERY" WITH JAMES CANN, AND MOST RECENTLY, "TILL THE RIVER RUNS DRY" WITH ANN MARGARET.

IN THE MID-80'S THE COOR'S BEER COMPANY CAME TO FILM A BEER COMMERCIAL. UNFORTUNATELY, THE LOCALS WHO WERE EXTRAS, DIDN'T LIKE COOR'S. THEY EMPTIED THEIR CANS, AND FILLED THEM WITH BUDWEISER, AND PROCEED WITH THE FILMING.

IF ONLY THESE WALLS COULD TALK !!!

Bye, Bye Delilah

By Mary

The alarm went off at 3 AM and it was up and at 'em to get Delilah to the airport. Everything went really smoothly and in fact, the plane left 7 minutes early. Since Delilah is a minor and traveling alone, I was allowed to go right to the gate with her. That is the plane that took her away this morning. I must admit that I got teary. Delilah was a delightful house guest and a great traveling companion. She will be missed!!


This is the plane that she left Reno on. She had to switch planes in Salt Lake City. Delta Airlines was really good about taking care of her. They escorted her from plane to plane to make sure she made it and her Mother had to show ID in order to pick her up. Nikki also had to sign for her in Minneapolis.



The rest of the day was full of laundry and cleaning.

Ahh, Shopping!!

Today my grandma and I went shopping in Tahoe and stretch malls in Carson City. She didn't get much. But I got Maxine a nice skirt, which I don't think my mom will like...good thing she doesn't have to wear it. I also got my Mom and Jesse a shirt, and my dad a hat. I got myself a new outfit that was really cheap surprisingly, because all the stores we went in were pretty expensive. After the shopping for family and myself, we went to a book store. I got 2 books. "The Pursuit of Happiness" I know will be good because the movie was really good..and inspiring, and "A Man Named Dave", the conclusion of "A Child Called "It" and "The Lost Boy". Those books are really sad.. I recommend them to anyone who has not read them. We also went into Bed Bath and Beyond. My Grandma didn't get anything, but I got an iPod holder/cleaner. Now my iPod will be safe!! Then, we came back to the camper. Tonight is my last night here, which is a good but bad thing. I've really enjoyed being here and getting to do all the things I have, but at the same time I'm ready to go home where I can sleep in my own bed and GO BACK TO SCHOOl.. I wonder how far I'm behind there. Don't even want to think about that.

A HAT OF MANY COLORS

HERE IS A FUTURE "GIRLS GONE WILD" TYPE HAT. PERSONALLY MY FAVORITE OF THE GROUPING. LOOKS LIKE AN ARIZONA GIRL HERE, INSTEAD OF A CHEESEHEAD. MY VOTE 5 STARS !!!!

THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN AT A HAT SHOP IN VIRGINIA CITY, NEVADA, WHICH IS HOME TO THE COMSTOCK LODE. I CAN'T DECIDE IF SHE'S HIGH SOCIETY, OR A FLOOZIE IN THIS HAT. I GIVE IT 4 STARS.




I'M NOT SURE HOW "GRANDMA JACK" GOT INTO THIS GROUP OF PICTURES, BUT I'M GUESSING THIS ISN'T "GIRLS GONE WILD" OR "HIGH SOCIETY" MATERIAL IN VIRGINIA CITY, BUT IT'S DIFFENTLY "GRANDMA JACK" !!!




AHH.............


SI' SENOR, A SPANISH CONQUESTADOR LOOK FOR SURE. I BET ZORRO IS AWAITING HER ON THE ROOF OF THE BUILDING!!! ONE COLD CORONA PLEASE, OVER HERE!!!



THE ROARING 20'S, I DON'T SEE A SUB-MACHINE GUN TUCKED UNDER HER ARM. MAYBE SHE LEFT THE BOOZO'S BEHIND DRINKING COLD CORONA'S. I'LL GIVE THIS JUST 2 STARS. (NOT MY TYPE I GUESS.)

HOWDY SLICK !!! YOU JUST A PASS'IN THRU? I GOT OLE SILVER HOBBLED JUST DOWN IN THE DRAW IF YOU'RE A FIXING TO GO FOR A RIDE? NOW WHERE DID I PUT THAT CHEW'N TABACEY?



We went to Virginia City today which is about 23 miles from the camper, in fact I mentioned to Delilah that we had 46.9 miles on the day. Quite a change for us cross country travelers!! Delilah did a little shopping in the "tourist trap" but truth be told, I think she is saving her "wad" for shopping tomorrow at the outlet stores at the "Y" at South Lake Tahoe.

Nikki says:

There is no spot to post a comment on the blog today....I have lots to comment about.....